Many Children, All Live
by Jicklet
Summary: An Ellimist Chronicles character shares her views. (Major spoilers and lots of wishful thinking.)


My name is Grass.  
  
My father had left after Mother's death. No one saw him anymore after that.  
I was alone with my older brother, Flower, and my husband, Wind.  
  
Wind and I soon had a daughter named Moon. We wanted to have another child,  
too. Then, after him or her, maybe more children. If I wasn't too old, and if  
it wasn't too dangerous. Right now, all we knew was that we'd have a second  
child.  
  
But that was still a while away. Wind and Flower didn't yet need to stay  
with me all the time. So they went to look for dark green grass. We knew a  
kind of dark green grass that made children stronger, but it didn't grow  
very thickly around our scoops. Wind and Flower would try to find some, and  
return in a few days. Moon and I would be fine till then.  
  
And we were truly fine. I was only frightened a little one night -- Moon was  
already sleeping -- when one of the monsters came in front of our scoop. But  
then it started talking to me, and I wasn't frightened anymore. Monsters  
don't talk, only people do. And I'm never frightened of people.  
  
Grass, I've been wanting to meet you, he said. I felt what he felt. But he  
said "Grass" and "want" and "you" and all the other words one by one, as if  
he were talking with his hands.  
  
I answered with my hands, too. I asked him who he was.  
  
Why, I'm Crayak. I've come to take Moon away from you.  
  
"You need not take Moon," I said. "Moon well here, I can care for her."  
  
Oh, I'm not taking her to care for her. On the contrary. I'm taking her to  
see her fear me and suffer because of me."  
  
That was different. I said something different. "You must not take Moon."  
  
Crayak laughed.  
  
I continued. "And you cannot. Disease can take her, monster can take her,  
famine can take her -- let this never come. I cannot fight disease, monster,  
famine. You different. I can fight you. I not give Moon, you cannot take  
Moon."  
  
Let's wait and see. Maybe I'll go over to her corner, and take her in my  
arms, and...  
  
"I not give," I repeated. "I not give Moon, I not give others. Nobody."  
  
Well -- what can I do, then, Crayak sighed. Your parents would have been  
proud of you, Grass, you know that? Or what am I saying, would have been,  
your father is still alive.  
  
"Father, alive? You know him? He well?" I asked so many questions, so fast,  
I didn't know how Crayak could even follow my hands. But he did, because he  
answered me.  
  
Your father is still alive, I can feel it. I know him very well. I haven't  
seen him for years, but I know that he's still fighting me. He's helping  
people so they can live, and have many, many children. Many more than I can  
kill, many more than I can even find. He's very powerful, you know.  
  
"Crayak, you listen me," I said very seriously. He looked at my hands. I  
went on. "You see Father, you say, 'Not fight Crayak. Fight disease, fight  
famine. Others fight Crayak. That more simple.' You say this to Father."  
  
I'll tell him. I hope he believes it, Crayak laughed. Because I'm much  
harder to fight than a disease. I'm incurable.  
  
"No. Disease know nothing. You know much. You know you are evil. You can  
stop. Always, always, you can stop."  
  
Yes, I can. But I won't, Crayak said simply.  
  
"I not care," I said just as simply. "You evil, I not care. You good,  
children live, you evil, children live. Always live. All children, Andalites  
and other children, everywhere."  
  
You're so sure of that? Crayak asked, amazed. I wouldn't be so sure of  
that. Look, I'll go now, and in a few years, we'll see. He turned around and  
walked away. Soon I couldn't see him in the dark night.  
  
I told this to Wind and Flower when they came back. They weren't surprised.  
They, too, know that Crayak wants to hurt children, but can't. He can't hurt  
Moon, and he can't hurt our second child when he or she comes, and he can't  
hurt our other children if they come. He can't hurt the other Andalite  
children, either. He can't hurt them, because we won't let him.  
  
And I know, and so do Wind and Flower and everyone else in the tribe, that  
all the other parents don't let Crayak hurt their children, either. Father  
has told us about these other parents. They live around the stars, and  
they're different from us.  
  
Now Father is helping them to have children, and all the children will live.  
So will their parents. Perhaps one day Crayak will understand this, too.  



End file.
